Every four years, the phrase “road to 270” pops up across news stations nationwide. As many probably know, candidates must reach 270 electoral votes to win the Presidential election in the United States. If a candidate earns the majority of votes from a given state, they receive all of that state’s electoral votes. In recent years, many people have questioned whether an institution like the Electoral College is still a necessity in modern elections. To understand why the Electoral College was implemented, we have to go back to the American Revolution and the start of the country as we know it today.
After winning the Revolutionary War against Britain, the colonies reorganized themselves under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles, a series of laws and rules establishing a central government in the colonies (now called states), were largely unsuccessful. Creating only a legislative branch with no judicial or executive branch to speak of, the “First Constitution” struggled to provide a strong enough central government for the new nation to be successful. One aspect of the Articles–the part which was the most relevant for the formation of the Electoral College–was the fact that each state was given a single vote in the original congress. Each state had equal say in legislation no matter its population size.
This was just one of the many parts of the Articles that created disorganization in the new states. Protests, revolts, violence, outrage and economic instability were commonplace throughout the new nation during this brief period. As a result of the Articles’ inability to create a proper nation, the Constitution was created. With the Constitution came the creation of the Electoral College; each state would receive a number of electoral votes based on that states’ representation in Congress. Adding together a given state’s senators (two per state) and representatives (the amount of which depends on that state’s population) would create a number of votes representing how much that state should “count” in terms of the Presidential election. The entire idea was formed on the basis of finding a compromise between Congress’ power and the people’s power in the election of the new President.
Today, there are 538 electoral votes in all, and candidates must win over half, or over 270, of the electoral votes possible to win. In the last few years there have been many people speaking out against the system, calling for a shift to popular vote elections. These critics believe that, for a President to win the election, they must receive a majority of votes in total, not just electoral votes. A President winning the White House without the popular vote has only happened four times in history; however, two of these instances occurred within the last 25 years (2000 and 2016), leading many to become dissatisfied with the current election system. On top of these criticisms, many feel that the Electoral College takes emphasis away from some voters. In states such as Massachusetts, which has not voted red since 1984, the probability of a Republican candidate receiving the states’ electoral votes is quite low. As a result, many red voters in Massachusetts may feel that their vote “means less” than voters in major swing states such as Pennsylvania or Georgia.
On the other hand, many people still defend the Electoral College and believe it is necessary in maintaining proper elections. The most common argument in support of the Electoral College is that it allows smaller states (population wise) to have a more significant contribution while simultaneously limiting the influence of larger states. To explain this point, let’s look at California, the nation’s most populous state. California has approximately 39 million people, which is around 11.7% of the nation’s total population. If electoral votes were distributed based only on population, California would have closer to 63 (11.7% of 538) electoral votes instead of its current 54. Using data such as this, supporters of the Electoral College believe that the institution helps in preventing states such as California from dominating elections.
All in all, the Electoral College is an institution that has come more into the limelight as time has passed. People are becoming more aware and outspoken about the power of their voice and their vote. While there are criticisms that some may make against the institution and its reliability, many others hail the Electoral College as a great balance between Congressional and popular power. Will there ever be a shift to popular vote elections, or will the Electoral College remain in place forever? Only time will tell what will come of these recent debates.
